China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
washingtonpost.com
China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
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Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#2[deleted]
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#3Does it?
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#4Why is it surprising that it works? It comes from strength as well as buy-in. People know its censored, but they accept the bargain.
In this case, I think Chinese buying the Han homogeneity helps in that there isn't an us vs them struggle. But rather an us vs the agitators mentality. And being nationalistic [affinity to the homeland] helps.
So long as people see the service provided by the government to be worth the deal, they'll put up with it. Just as we make an arguably similar, but obviously different bargain when we put up what some people call security theatre. We "put up with it" so long, in balance the government gives us an acceptable deal.
For China, where in a communist country you have daily labor riots or protests against corrupt officials, people buy into the case that with a scandalous press they, the population, by and large, could be worse off due to unrest and instability which could arguably threaten the viability of the CCP as well as the one nation notion.
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#5It may work now, but I suspect in the longer term it could be very harmful. As with stocks, it is like getting short-term calmness for the price of blowing up in the future. Noise of internet freedom train society deal with rumors etc., that may be essential for survival.
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#6Does it?
You can try to as them about tank man
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#7> China has achieved this. It can communicate with the outside world, meanwhile Western opinion cannot easily penetrate as ideological tools
Media is powerful. And even in the US, most of us self-censor our news (liberal vs conservative media) to the point where we're largely reading only views we agree on (HN is no different in that regard). I always find it amusing that we can all read the same news with different conclusions and come out thinking that we're right all the time.
A lot of people assume that people in China are unaffected by all the censorship, but even if they're aware of it, I wonder if censorship in China actually reduces cognitive dissonance at this point, and it's actually more agreeable to read censored news than not. Much like advertising or the opinions of our friends/family, ideas can be subtle but extremely influencing.
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#8The Chinese own China and can decide for themselves what is best for their country. But as an American living in China, I fear that some of what I see here can and will happen in America one day.
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#9The thing is, information is the weapon of the 21st century. We are already litigating the cold war in the 3 most popular courts: the olympics, the media, and financial markets.
We cooperate with China, but what will become obvious if a horrifying 1984 censorship scenario evolves more forecfully is that nations and powerbrokers have different information thay want buried/codified. So while China censors it's internet, there will be many places that actively promote (or at best do not dissuade) the content that China is burying.
Just as Russia publishes content the U.S. would prefer not to be published/ is critical of America. So Censorship does work as does fearmongering and threats of violence. However, even in China's situation (which is horrifying) where you can be killed for promoting information/speaking out about some things there will always be groups outside the region with the information and as it becomes scarce it becomes more powerful. Peacekeepers, activists, anti-chinese nationals and subversive governement agents all have incentive to work against chinese censorship, so censorship as a whole can not be successful hopefully as there will always be factions and these factions will gain the highest leverage disseminating the information that is the most policed and downright censored shit in their counterparties region.
Re: China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works
#10China's firewall is largely constructed to create technology transfer towards China.
This may be in the form of hindering sales for comapanies they may have interesting opportunities for investment, from sports shoes to embedded microchips, to financial products.
It is also part of a much greater Golden Shield network.
But a lot has changed over the past 5 years. A contrast of goals/objectives: the Golden Shield formerly largely about public security and media control, a network prided under the former premier (national harmony being the end-game), but now goals are much, much, more nationalistic at a strategic level across China.